Saturday, September 30, 2017

After another short pause the Hawija operation was on once
again. The Iraqi forces freed the Shirqat district in northern Salahaddin. Then
did some clearing operations before starting their campaign once again to free
Hawija only the second large piece of Iraqi territory still under Islamic State
control.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

The results of the September 25 Kurdistan independence
referendum were officially announced, but that did little to calm the war of
words between Baghdad and Irbil. The politicians in the Iraqi capital were
pushing for more retaliation against the region, while the Kurds were refusing
to listen. At the end of the day, there was a small fig leaf offered that could
lead to something productive happening instead of the continued heated
rhetoric.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

There was a decided increase in violence in Iraq during the
third week of September. There were 91 incidents reported in the media. That
was the highest figure since the middle of July. That was caused by an uptick
in attacks in Anbar, Diyala and Kirkuk. The first and last were experiencing
the latest military operations, which provoked Islamic State into action.
Diyala on the other hand, is one of the main provinces in the country where the
insurgents are rebuilding.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

September 25, 2017, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)
held a historic referendum asking voters whether they wanted Kurdistan and the
disputed territories to become an independent state. Since it was a non-binding
resolution, the election was more symbolic than anything else. Now that it’s
over there is the important questions of what’s next. Kurdish officials have
said they want to begin negotiations with Baghdad about seceding. There are
several problems with that. First, there is no unity within the Kurdish parties
on how to proceed. Second, the Kurdish authorities have angered the Arab
parties so much they are uninterested in any talks, and are seeking retaliation
instead. Third, the referendum didn’t have the backing of the international
community to legitimize it because of the ad hoc way it was put together.
Finally, the Kurds will have to gain the backing of the regional countries to
become independent as well. All together that puts a daunting set of barriers
for the KRG to move forward on its dreams.

The west Anbar campaign was on pause once again. The routine
has been for the Iraqi forces to take a town, and then spend time to clear it
and the surrounding roads and highways of explosives. That is going on now. The
Islamic State also executed
its governor for Ana and 27 of his followers accusing them of fleeing the
battle. Next up for the joint forces are Rawa and Qaim in northwest Anbar, and
then to sweep down the border region.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

The multi-front campaign to rid Iraq of the last bastions of
the Islamic State made more progress. Shirqat in northern Salahaddin was freed,
the Iraqi forces were clearing the latest gains in Anbar, while Hawija was
pending.

Friday, September 22, 2017

The much awaited
multi-pronged offensive to free the last Islamic State bastions within Iraq
started. The West Anbar campaign took its first major town, Ana along the
Euphrates River. Shirqat in northern Salahaddin was also attacked along with
neighboring Hawija in southern Kirkuk.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

After a short pause the Iraqi forces went back on the
offensive in west Anbar. The town of Rihana was the latest one to be freed
in the region. It is in the Ana district in northwest Anbar along the Euphrates
River. Elements of the army’s
7th and 8th Divisions, along with the tribal Hashd were
involved in the operation.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Violence in Iraq remained at a very low level for the second
week of September 2017. There were few reported security incidents, but
casualties were very high due to a large car bombing in southern Iraq, and
bodies being recovered from the rubble in Mosul.

Monday, September 18, 2017

Unlike previous
government campaigns against the Islamic State the west Anbar operation will be
conducted in stages. The first, was the taking of Akashat, which occurred over
the weekend. The Iraqi forces will move on the Iraq-Syrian border and a number
of other towns before taking Rawa, Qaim and Ana, the ultimate goals.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Two new public
opinion polls from the Spring of 2017 found that Iraqis still hold very
divergent views. What was a big change was that most Sunnis felt positive about
the country and the government, although they were still worried about the
Islamic State. Shiites on the other hand, showed high levels of pessimism,
while Kurds appeared to be done with the central government.

IRAQ HISTORY TIMELINE

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About Me

Musings On Iraq was started in 2008 to explain the political, economic, security and cultural situation in Iraq via original articles and interviews. If you wish to contact me personally my email is: motown67@aol.com